An Elf Princeling's Tale
by Meggin Fallohide
Summary: All his life this dashing young elf has shunned romance. Until one day during his archery lessons when his life is changed forever. Ahem, WARNING slightly cheesy. Please R&R! I'm trying out romance for a change. :)


**Legolas' Love?**  
  
**1.** This is my first fanfiction. **2.** Not to mention, this is my first ROMANCE. **3.** I'm pretty ok at the corny humor anyway, but it's the ROMANCE I'm worried about. So... **4.** Read and review please. Save the really harsh criticism...only stuff that will be BENEFICIAL please.** 5.** It looks really long, doesn't it? So why didn't I put it into chapters? Because it works better in one huge chunk- it's the exact same amount as those long stories you read with like 17 chapters. Read, review, and enjoy!  
  
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The wind blew through the trees and the sun shined through the cracks of the forest. The elf breathed in deeply with satisfaction; today was the perfect day.  
Legolas armed himself with his bow, quiver, an additional pocket knife at his side (for emergencies), and dressed in his hunting outfit. Whistling happily as if he absolutely had no worry in the world, he set out for the woods, his favorite place to be alone.  
Underneath his arm he cradled his Barbie dolls tenderly (everyone told him he ought to stop playing with the mini mannequins, as he was too old, but he actually found them quite amusing, especially when he cut their hair and after a century it never grew back!). Today he would attempt actually shaving all their heads completely bald, to see if the growth of hair would increase (or actually occur).  
The elf skipped along happily, as his blond tresses flew behind in the morning breeze. He stopped whistling and began to hum happily. He was almost at his favorite clearing when he stopped suddenly. His keen ears perked up. Cautiously, he slung out his bow and reached behind him to grasp an arrow. He would be ready.  
Far away, somewhere distant, he heard giggling. Definitely female, Legolas thought, crinkling his nose in disgust. But the voice to which it belonged to was so awfully familiar!  
With careful footwork, and without making a noise, Legolas followed his ears to another small clearing he hadn't discovered before. His arms, which were poising his bow defensively, now clumsily dropped to his side. His eyes bulged out, his jaw dropped. He was frozen in place, every muscle was tense. He didn't know what had gotten come over him.  
Before him, were Arwen and Aragorn. Typical. After all, they were going out together. He could see them quite clearly, but they couldn't see him, as a few tall trees would have obscured their view. He heard more giggling. As he looked closely, he realized they were coming from Arwen. Legolas cringed in disgust as her giggles grewot louder, strongly reminding him of snobbly popular girls in school. Then he turned on his heel and began to run as he saw them both drawing near to each other, until finally, they were practically glued together.  
_SICK! COMPLETELY SICK! _Legolas thought loudly in his head with disgust. He was not used to this kind of thing. Romance, smoochy kissy stuff...it just...wasn't him, you know? As Legolas pushed away the brambles and branches, he could not help but wonder why he had that feeling of jealousy- just a tiny bit as he saw them drawing near to each other. Jealousy, and...emptiness. He also began to notice how everyone around him was in couples...the birds up the trees...the frogs up by the creek...everything and everyone!  
He felt so confused and angry that he abandoned his Barbie dolls by a nearby stream and ran for all he was worth back home.  
He stormed into the dining room in such a dramatic way that Elrond gave a little yelp in his seat. He was sitting in the dining table with his guests, who, like Elrond, were looking at him as if they were looking at a psycho. Legolas felt the blood rush to his face. In an embarrassed way, he uttered a fake little ahem and turned the other way. Elrond stopped him though.  
"Legolas? Are you all right?"  
Legolas blushed again as he turned around to face him. Elrond was sitting upright in his seat, his napkin in his lap in a polite manner. In his other hand, a fork was poised, ready to attack a piece of steak on his plate.  
"Yes. Yes, I'm...I just have a headache, that's all." Without another word he whisked around, banged out of the dining room, and dashed up the stairs. And it was true anyhow; his head was throbbing painfully. Legolas burst through the bathroom door and flung open the medicine cabinet, looking for a package of Tylenol.  
_What is wrong with me today?!_ Legolas thought to himself desperately. To his dismay, he couldn't find any medicine that would cure his throbbing head. Groaning a little bit, he stepped into the hallway and tried to find his bedroom door. He grasped the doorknob and walked in weakly. Slamming the door behind him, he flopped down on his four-poster bed, closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and was asleep at once.  
  
Legolas screamed as his alarm clock buzzed, jerked up, and almost knocked his bed over.  
Do I really sound that girly when I scream? He wondered. He stood up and looked in the mirror. His hair was a mess, and since he had left a few braids in the other day it would be incredibly difficult to untangle his hair. He had forgotten to change too, so he had slept and caused wrinkles to appear in his good clothes. He groaned pathetically, and with one hand tried hopelessly to untangle his messy locks and with the other rummaged in his closet that would suffice for the special occasion that was happening today- the archery lessons.  
Of course, he was the one giving them, not taking them. Elrond had told him a few weeks ago in a very fatherly way that it was time for him to earn some money, or do something like a part-time job. Of course, the first thing that popped in Legolas' head was something involving bows and arrows. Held twice a week, this morning was the first lesson, and he was beginning to run late.  
He had showered, dressed and ready, and was making a few desperate tugs at his hair before leaving. Arwen burst through his bedroom some moments later reminding him that he was late, and that his first customer was outside waiting.  
"I KNOW!!!!" Legolas yelled exasperatedly.  
"Legolas, you're like nearly twenty minutes late-"  
"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, I KNOW!!"  
Arwen glared at him, sniffed the air in a dignified way, and left the room.  
After some more hopeless attempts to straighten out his hair, Legolas gave up, grabbed his bow and quiver set, and rushed down the stairs. Arwen was at the table eating her breakfast, and shot him a few nasty looks as he whisked by. Legolas ignored her as he stepped outside and began his brisk walk to the tournament area, where the lessons where supposed to take place.  
There he met a short little dwarf, who reminded him strongly of Gimli except that the dwarf had black hair. The moment he saw Legolas approaching he stuck his grubby hand out. Legolas hesitantly reached out and shook it.  
As the dwarf began pumping his arm up and down in a painful way, Legolas glanced at the nametag placed on the dwarf's chest. It read: YOGA, SON OF BLOGA in big scribbly letters. Legolas noticed an agonizing pain creeping up his arm, and realized Yoga had not let go of his huge death grip, and was still shaking his hand furiously.  
"Er- you can stop now, uh, Yoga", Legolas muttered softly. Yoga let go and squinted up at Legolas with beady eyes. Legolas took a deep breath, as if bracing himself. Today he had this grubby dwarf, a couple of humans, one hobbit, and one elf. "Er- did you bring your bow and arrow?"  
"NOPE, I FORGOT." Legolas stared back at him in horror.  
"You...forgot?"  
"YEP, I FORGOT, I TELL YE!" The dwarf replied in a booming voice. "YE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?" Legolas could not believe what he was hearing.  
"Well, uh...you'll have to hand over a check for twenty dollars to borrow my supplies, then," Legolas croaked. "And next time please don't forget." The dwarf brought the check out, which Legolas quickly snatched from him, and the lesson began.  
As Legolas suspected, it was horrible.  
Yoga couldn't hold the bow right, and kept completely missing the target.  
"THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS THING, I TELL YE!" the dwarf yelled, jabbing an accusing finger at Legolas' bow. "IT'S CURSED! IT'S CURSED WITH EVIL CURSES!"  
The two humans turned out to be twins. They both held the bow right, but both also found it amusing to copy every word Legolas said.  
"Hold it like this," Legolas instructed.  
"Hold it like this," they repeated.  
"Now aim a little below the target."  
"Now aim a little below the target."  
"WOULD YOU QUIT??"  
"WOULD YOU QUIT??"  
The hobbit was way too short. The target towered above little Mary, who began to sob uncontrollably. Legolas began to adjust the wooden pole holding up the bullseye to suit the hobbit's height, and then it collapsed as one of the screws was missing. Seeing this terrible tragedy the hobbit began to howl even louder and began calling poor Legolas a traitor.  
As Mary began to leave Legolas saw something glinting in the sunlight. It was the missing screw. He picked it up and reassembled the bulseye. Next he wiped his forehead with his sleeve and sighed exasperatedly as he checked off Mary's name on his list. Only one more to go. One more pupil to go, and the lesson was over.  
He looked down at the list. Lady Eilyana.  
  
He couldn't figure out what was going on. Legolas checked his wristwatch and sighed, obviously annoyed. He couldn't wait to finish up the lessons so it would be over with. Where was his last and final student? He scanned the area, but no elf was in sight. Sighing once more, he dropped the clipboard on the ground and turned to go back inside the house.  
He filled up a glass of lemonade and sat in front of his laptop, briefly scanning his emails (and replying to them) before his last pupil arrived.  
After gulping down a couple more glasses of lemon juice and forwarding a recent chain mail he got from Pippin, he jerked up. He forgot to check to see if Lady Eilyana had come!  
He dashed back outside, nearly tripping over a tree root in his hurry.  
As he rounded the corner, he stopped suddenly as if all the breath had been knocked out of him.  
It was her. Lady Eilyana.  
Legolas knew very well it was rude to stare but he couldn't stop...staring...open-mouthed.  
She had already begun using the bow and arrows, which Legolas had left lying around. Stretching the string, and then letting go, the arrow whizzed towards the target, missing the bullseye by inches. She had braided her wavy brown hair into one piece down her back. He couldn't see her face very clearly. She was wearing a long green velvet gown that slightly trailed on the ground behind her, and had cuffed sleeves. She tried to shoot again, and missed it by even farther.  
"Dang," he heard her mutter angrily. She must have sensed Legolas' presence as she set the equipment back on the table and swiveled her head around, searching.  
"Alae...Elo," Legolas heard himself muttering under his breath.  
Then their eyes met.  
Smiling welcomingly, she picked up her skirts and ran to Legolas' frozen figure.  
"There you are!" she exclaimed, sticking out a hand. Legolas smiled weakly and shook it. Her smile grew even wider and she let out a laugh- so unlike Arwen's...this one was light, and tinkly. "My name is Eilyana, daughter of Haroyn. You must be Prince Legolas. I have wanted to meet you all my life..."  
Legolas inspected her face carefully. She had deep green eyes that would stand out of a crowd, he knew immediately this had to be her best feature. She was pale in a pretty way, her cheeks were tinted with a rosy pink. A few strands of hair had been left out of the braid, and now fell across her eyes and gently framed her face. She never seemed to stop smiling.  
"Shall we get started then?"  
Legolas shook his thoughts away.  
"Ah...what?" Her smile disappeared, and now was replaced with a look of worry.  
"Oh, Prince Legolas-"  
"Just Legolas."  
"Legolas...are you all right? You look ill..."  
"Uh...no," he lied, though in truth his headache started to come back. He grasped the edge of the table for support.  
"Are you sure?" He nodded, refusing to meet eye contact. "Well then..." She stood there, not knowing what to say.  
Legolas took a few more deep breaths. _What HAS gotten into me today?_ He thought. She's just a student. A regular elf. Then why am I so... Legolas grabbed the bow that was a few inches away from his hand.  
"Let's get started," he said abruptly. It was better to get this all over with. Eilyana's face lit up.  
A few minutes into the session and Legolas wondered why she had come for lessons in the first place. Her aim was nearly perfect. She didn't copy every word he said. She was the perfect height and was just about an inch or two shorter than himself.  
"Have you had experience before?" he asked, as she began to stretch the bowstring. "I mean, with archery."  
WHIZ. Perfect shot.  
She stumbled back, as if from shock.  
"Well, I have hunted with my father before, when I was younger. I'd say, about seven years ago. I signed up for lessons to sharpen my skills...I didn't think I would remember so fast."  
"No, that's all right. You're brilliant." Legolas gasped at his own words.  
"Aw, thanks!" she replied, smiling again.  
She made two more attempts but both missed the target by a few inches. She muttered a few more "dangs" under her breath.  
"I think I know what's causing the trouble," Legolas interrupted. As she stretched her string, he went behind her, reached out and touched her left hand. It was a tingling, scary feeling.  
_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_ he argued with himself. I_ have to tell her to aim a little below the target_ he replied calmly with his rebellious self.  
He pushed her hand down a little bit.  
"There. You have to look directly between your fingers and aim about half a centimeter below the target...just a little bit below, and most likely you'll make it." He let go of her hand. "Now let go."  
WHIZZZ. Perfect shot.  
  
"And what's wrong with you?"  
Legolas looked at where the voice was coming from. He groaned. It was Arwen.  
"What do you mean?" She snorted. "Why do you look like a deer who's almost been run over by the truck? How come you've got that dazed look in your eyes?"  
Legolas shook his head and began to blush. He turned away and began to run up the stairs, skipping the steps. He heard Arwen gasp behind him.  
"No," she said incredulously. "No! It's impossible! Legolas, are you- "  
He slammed his door just in time.  
"That stupid- brat- good for nothing-"he clenched and unclenched his fists, fuming with anger. Does Arwen always have to butt in everything that was going on in his life? Does she always have to bully and lecture him? Besides, he didn't like Eilyana. Well, he did, but not...not in that way...  
In his mind he replayed their meeting. His touching-hand epidemic. In which he found out, to his horror, that he had enjoyed touching her hand.  
Legolas winced. He was disgusted with himself. He felt ugly, unclean...like he hadn't taken a bath in ages, when he had in fact taken one this morning.  
Thoughts swam in his head. He was literally drowning in confusion.  
He knew it was time. It was time to have a little chat with his old pal, Aragorn.  
  
At the stroke of midnight, Legolas threw the cloak the around him and hung the hood over his face. Trying his best to be quiet, he opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and closed it softly behind him. He stepped down onto the stairs and groaned as a large creak rung out in the old palace. He decided to slide down the banister instead, which barely made any noise at all except for the soft thump when he landed.  
Holding his breath, he stepped carefully up to the front door, and placed his hand to the doorknob.  
He yelped when a cold, hard grip came upon his hand. Sharp nails dug into his skin, and he closed his eyes and shuddered in pain. Grabbing the cold hand with his free hand, he managed to pry it off and whisk around.  
He was face to face with Arwen, who was hooded and cloaked also.  
"WHAT THE HECK?"  
"Shut up!" she hissed softly. "You're always so loud. You're always screaming at me!" She rolled her eyes.  
"Oh yeah?" Legolas retaliated. "Look who's talking!"  
"Shut up."  
They stood there for a moment, face to face, breathing heavily and glaring at each other.  
"So where are you off to?" Legolas snarled.  
"To find Aragorn," she snarled back, flashing her long nails in the moonlight.  
"Hey! I'm off to find him!"  
"Oh," she replied, with a strong hint of sarcasm in her voice, "We've finally got something in common."  
  
Legolas and Arwen started a race, then and there. The rules were that whoever got to Aragorn first would be able talk to him first... alone. This was extremely important to Legolas, because he didn't want Arwen to know what was going on. However, if Arwen reached Aragorn first and got him alone... well, he didn't want to think about it.  
He started his stretching exercises, which were routine when he started a race. When he looked up from reaching his toes, he saw Arwen as a dot in the distance.  
"Hey, you're cheating! I didn't say 'go' yet!" He yelled. "Cheater, cheater!" Only he said it this way, "CHEETAH! CHEETAH!"  
  
After four hours, Legolas finally got his turn to talk to Aragorn. Aragorn looked kind of bedraggled, and Legolas needed not guess how that happened.  
"Hey, Leggy! Buddy!" Aragorn said, with a strong, backbreaking slap on Legolas' back. Legolas grinded his teeth. "What kind of urgent matter brings you here? It's four o'clock, for crying out loud!"  
Legolas tried to smile. He hoped it was warm, because he was feeling very cold towards Aragorn. "I... actually wanted to see you four hours ago."  
"What! Why didn't you meet me then?"  
"Uh, for your info, you were taking really long with your 'chat' with Miss Giggles."  
Aragorn looked hurt. "Oh."  
Legolas coughed.  
Aragorn looked down at the ground in an embarrassed way.  
"So...?" Legolas coughed again.  
"Um...Aragorn?" he looked up. "I think I'm corrupted with...with..." Aragorn took his shoulders and shook him furiously.  
"SPIT IT OUT!" Legolas sighed and hung his head pitifully.  
"The...the L-word."  
"WHAT????! The L-word!"  
Legolas blushed fiercely. "Um.. yeah.. I know... ugh..."  
Aragorn looked amused.  
"Leggy, milad, you needn't worry!"  
"I don't?" Legolas looked up with hope beaming from his eyes.  
"Of course you don't! Everyone gets corrupted with the L-word!"  
"Aragorn, my friend, this is good news!" He shook Aragorn's shoulders expectantly. "What do you know of it!"  
Aragorn looked thoughtful.  
"Well, I know that once corrupted, you get major stomach pains, and get bloating."  
Legolas almost choked on his recent laughter. "W-what!!" He spit disbelievingly.  
Aragorn wiped his face. "Yes, it's true!" he exclaimed, too eager to get mad. "And you get a lot of gas. But don't worry, it won't stink unless you eat onions, garlic, those kinds of things. And you also burp much, too."  
Legolas felt limp.  
"Are...are you serious?" Aragorn slapped his back again, and tears came to Legolas' eyes.  
"Of course! I can't believe no one has told you before! Lunch affects everyone!" Legolas came back to consciousness.  
"L-lunch?" Aragorn looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.  
"Well, yes, that's what you said...the L-word..."  
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Legolas collapsed on his knees, strongly aggravated. "How can you be so IGNORANT, Aragorn? LOVE! I'M TALKING ABOUT LOVE!" He clapped his hand to his forehead, and began moaning some more. "I even said it...I said the word, the horrible, filthy word..."  
"AHA!" Both men turned around. Arwen pointed an accusing finger at Legolas. "I knew you were smitten with someone!" In a teasing way she batted her eyelashes. "Wonder who it is, now..."  
"Shut up!" Legolas hissed, as he turned a deep crimson red. Then, with the back of his hand raised to his face to hide the embarrassed and frustrated tears, he ran the long distance back to his room.  
  
Legolas flipped over uncomfortably in his bed. His mind was whirling with confused thoughts. He didn't know where he was or who he was. The silence drummed loudly in his ears, the darkness seemed to close over and swallow him. Whirling, whirling.  
"Of course, everyone is corrupted with the L-word," he heard Aragorn state matter-of-factly.  
Legolas winced as if someone had pinched him and stuffed his head in his pillow.  
_"NO! I MEAN LOVE! LOVE!"  
_ Arwen came into view, laughing and rolling in the ground as if he was the funniest thing in the world. She batted her eyelashes, except in the dream it was like slow motion...  
_"Ooooooh, I wonder who, now?"  
_ Then they both disappeared. He was in the tournament area. He looked around, everywhere it was deserted. The silence grew even louder. Out of nowhere Eilyana appeared; she was crying!  
_"What's wrong?"_ Legolas yelled, but he couldn't hear himself, as if someone had took his voice away. The maiden looked up, her eyes drowning in tears, and began to run...past him, brushing his shoulder lightly as she flew past.  
_"Traitor....traitor..." _Arwen's voice thudded in his ears. "_Traitor..._"  
  
Legolas grinded his teeth and buried his head in his pillow as his alarm clock pierced the still air with its shrill cry. Legolas felt too weak to stand, or even move his hand. For five straight minutes he lay there, unmoving, as if paralyzed.  
When the alarm clock began to turn him deaf, Legolas moved his hand with a tremendous amount of effort. He shut the darn thing.  
The quiet was comforting. Sighing, he let his arm dangle over the bed and he closed his eyes, shielding the world away from his peaceful, quiet slumber...  
"WAKE UP!" He felt himself being shoved around. "WAKE UP, YOU'RE LATE!"  
He came to his senses as he opened his eyes. He was still tired. The world around him was blurry, and as he rubbed his eyes slowly everything came into focus. The first thing he saw was Arwen's enraged face.  
He looked down at his body. He had slept in his good clothes again. He groaned.  
"That's right, groan. You're late. Again." Arwen crossed her arms and looked at him sternly. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself? You know your dwarf's coming any second?" Legolas closed his eyes again, breathing in deeply. He was so tired...  
"You would look pretty if you didn't scream and lecture me so much, Arwen," he replied calmly, still half asleep. Immediately he regretted what he said.  
"WHAT?" Arwen goggled at him.  
"Well, it's true, seriously." Legolas stood up and stretched, groaning again to find out he had forgotten to take out his braids last night, and his locks were once again in intricate tangles. He could see Arwen trying to think of a good come back. He seemed to see an imaginary light bulb appear above her head, and the moment she opened her mouth he spoke. "Save yourself some time, okay? I was just kidding."  
He couldn't tell if she was grinning or frowning.  
"One day..." he heard her murmur under her breath, as she exited the room. "One day..."  
He took a quick shower, and dressed into some new clothes, hastily throwing the ones he had slept in the night into the washer.  
He slid down the banister to save time and expected to see Arwen eating her breakfast and glaring at him, but she was nowhere to be seen. He shrugged, and stepped outside.  
It was a breezy, mildly chilly day. Legolas ran back in to grab his cloak, and rushed back outside. Taking quick steps he was at the lessons area in no time.  
The dwarf stood there glaring at him with the same beady eyes.  
"Yoga..." Legolas ran up to him, breathless. "Yoga...good morning." The dwarf did not reply. "Er... do you have your equipment today?"  
"NOPE, FORGOT TODAY!" No sooner had he gotten to the word "nope " when Legolas slammed his fist down on the table in pure annoyance. The dwarf did not seem startled by this.  
"Again? You forgot AGAIN?" The dwarf smiled a toothy grin and nodded cheerfully. Legolas shook his head in disappointment as he stuck out his palm. "A check please. To borrow my materials."  
The dwarf fished out a little slip of paper and handed it to him, hesitantly.  
"Did you take the evil curses off ye bows 'n arrows?" Legolas looked up and raised an eyebrow.  
"Excuse me?" The dwarf growled.  
"YE BOW! CURSED! CURSED I TELL YE! BUT DO YE LISTEN? NOOOOOOO!"  
"Yoga, please-"  
"SEE? AN' YE KEEP INTERRUPTIN'! HOW RUDE!" Legolas threw his hands up in the air in despair, and walked away as the dwarf continued to bramble on, apparently not noticing that his teacher was gone.  
"ARCHERY AIN'T ARCHERY WITH CURSED BOWS WITH CURSED CURSES, I TELL YE! CURSESSSSSSS!"  
Legolas sat in a bench and began to think. The dwarf's scratchy voice loomed over the area. He guessed every creature within five miles could hear his pathetic blabber. Sighing, Legolas stood up and walked back to the area. The dwarf was now attempting a move as if to crush Legolas' bow with his foot. Legolas gasped and slid in front of it, shielding his precious bow with his arms.  
"No!" The dwarf looked shocked, as his foot stayed there, frozen in midair. Legolas picked his bow up and clutched it. "Look, okay, if I'm making things too hard for you, or if you think my equipment has curses, either bring your own equipment or just...just resign. Nobody's forcing you, okay?" The dwarf's eyes bulged out. "So?"  
Yoga did not reply, instead set his foot back down on the ground and walked away.  
Legolas grinned happily.  
"Well, that settles the dwarf..." he checked Yoga's name off his list. "Now for the twins...ugh."  
Legolas had already constructed a plan- he wouldn't talk at all! With this method the twins couldn't copy him anymore, so they simply followed his gestures obediently, and each actually made about a perfect shot each. He was so impressed he nearly caught himself blurting a compliment but stopped himself just in time.  
Today just might be a good day after all, he thought.  
When it was Mary's turn he took out a shorter target point he had built himself, on a lower wooden stand. Mary was plainly horrible at archery, but at least now wasn't bursting into uncontrollable tears every now and then.  
Mary's name was now off the list, leaving Lady Eilyana. Legolas' heart began to beat fast as he stared down at her name. He had forgotten all about her! How could he face her? When he was corrupted with the L- word, how he possibly face her without doing something stupid?  
Again the Lady was late. Legolas took advantage of this time by rushing in to try and untangle his hair. He would look his best, that was for sure!  
He rushed out nervously, and again as he rounded the corner he felt an imaginary fist punching him in the stomach, knocking his breath out. He stood there, spellbound.  
Move, stupid, he thought. But he couldn't.  
Eilyana had worn her hair down today, and fell about her shoulders in graceful, pretty waves. She was wearing a velvet dress of the same fashion except it was red, and a hoodless cloak covered a portion of it as it was a slightly chilly day.  
She saw him immediately and rushed over.  
"Erm...hello.." Legolas muttered.  
"Suilad," Eilyana replied, smiling cheerfully.  
"Suilad," Legolas repeated.  
"A bit cold today isn't it?" She asked, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. "We better get started, eh?" Legolas nodded wordlessly. "I brought my own materials, so you can shoot some too, with your own."  
And so the lesson proceeded. Legolas not only spent the time teaching, but also tried desperately to think of something to talk about, to spark up a nice, long conversation. Of course, he was clueless.  
In a bored, experienced sort of way, he took two bows in the same hand and shot them both at the target perfectly. As he glanced over at his side, he could see Eilyana staring in awe, her green eyes shimmering with curiosity.  
"Wow," she breathed. "That's awesome." He smiled.  
"Well, it's not at all difficult. You just have a lot more to hold and balance in your hand." He demonstrated again with the same arrows, and both made it as usual. "Now you try."  
Carefully, she placed the two arrows in her hand and settled them atop the bowstring. When the pulled, one of the arrows fell and the other shot perfectly.  
"That's all right," Legolas said. "It takes practice."  
"Yeah," she murmured. "Dang. It's harder than it looks. You've got a lot to grab..." She fished out more arrows and gripped them between her fingers. Both arrows flew, but missed.  
"There! That's much better!" The Lady beamed.  
"Thanks! It wasn't perfect, and all..." She began packing up.  
Go. Ask her out!  
"Er..." Legolas began. She looked up, smiling glamorously.  
"Yeah?" Legolas stared at the ground.  
"Never mind." She walked up to him.  
"Are you sure you're all right?" He looked up into her eyes. His stomach flipped over.  
"Yeah. I'm fine." She scanned his face curiously for a moment, whispered a quiet namárië, and turned to leave.  
Legolas stood staring. Sighing, he grabbed his equipment and walked back to the palace, muttering  
"I am so stupid!"  
  
Legolas changed again into his most formal clothes, and whisked down the stairs, sighing with relief at the sight of Arwen not being there. Elrond had insisted on a private dinner to discuss how his lessons were coming along. As he zoomed into the social room, Elrond stood up in greeting. Legolas tipped his head in reply and took a seat on Elrond's right hand.  
As he dug into his food Elrond peered at him curiously.  
"So how is it?"  
"How is what?" Legolas asked with food in his mouth, causing it to come out in an interesting "oweeot?" Elrond seemed disgusted.  
"Your lessons, lad, are you feeling all right?"  
"Yes," Legolas replied, his food swallowed. "I mean, yes, the lessons are going very well. I've taught a few some new tricks." Elrond nodded.  
"I got a call from one of your student's mothers." Legolas choked on his food.  
"Mothers? You mean they're not satisfied?" Elrond shrugged. He had not eaten a bite of his food.  
"Yoga, son of Bloga's mother, in fact. She made a call." Legolas choked again.  
"Water please," he gagged at a nearby servant, who rushed away at once. "Yoga's mom?" Elrond nodded and began to continue.  
"Yes, she told me-"  
"You mean female dwarves actually exist?" Elrond raised a hand.  
"Legolas, please. Calm yourself. Anyhow, she made a call- Legolas sit down- and said that Yoga was not at all pleased with your lessons, and that she wants him resigned from your classes at once." He stared at Legolas seriously. "Is something going on that I need to know?"  
The servant strode back in and set a glass of water in front of Legolas. He snatched it and drank a few sips. He was really in trouble now.  
"Well, my Lord, he thought my equipment was cursed." Elrond chuckled.  
"An amusing story, my lad."  
"He kept forgetting his materials, so he was forced to borrow mine. Only problem was, he nearly broke mine because of the superstitious thought that it was cursed. Just because he isn't all that good at archery." Elrond was laughing harder now. Legolas frowned, deeply insulted.  
"Ah Legolas. How amusing. You may excuse yourself, I've heard enough." Still chuckling, Elrond stood up and walked out of the room, his food sitting there untouched.  
Legolas sat, steaming with anger.  
"Well it's true," he said to himself through gritted teeth. "But nobody even cares to listen to what I have to say, do they? Nobody has the time to really hear me out, eh?" He stood up, and to his embarrassment saw the servant staring at him nervously. How stupid of me, he thought, as he made way to his room. Talking to myself like some crazy nut.  
He opened the door to his room and nearly fainted. Aragorn was sprawled out on his bed, smoking a cigar.  
"Leggy, milad!" he exclaimed cheerfully, hopping off his bed and tugging him in. He slammed the door and faced the pale Legolas.  
"What- are- you- doing here???!" Legolas hissed. "Smoking?" Quickly Aragorn pinched the end of the cigar and discarded it in Legolas' trash bin.  
"First of all, I came to apologize about Arwen's interruption. Second, I apologize for misunderstanding your meaning of the L-word. Thirdly, Arwen is in Red Lobster right now, taking advantage of my gift certificate I gave her today to lure her away, and give us some time alone. Why don't you tell me what's going on? You look as pale as a ghost, laddy..." Suddenly he shut up, grabbed Legolas sleeve, and dragged him out of the room.  
"Git- off-" Legolas stammered.  
Aragorn dragged him into the room beside Legolas' and slammed the door shut, locking it. To Legolas' horror he realized he was in Arwen's room.  
"Aragorn..." he whispered.  
"Sssh, I know." Aragorn sniffed the air and sighed pleasantly. "The thing about women, eh? They always smell so good." Legolas felt sick.  
"Have you been to Arwen's room before?" Legolas asked.  
"Yes, many times, er, but that's a different story that I don't want to talk about right now." He sprawled out onto the bed and propped his feet up on the edge. Legolas stood there. "Why, don't just stand there, take a seat," Aragorn urged, motioning to the chair beside the bed. Legolas strode over awkwardly and sat down.  
"Um, Aragorn? Why here?"  
"Because no one will suspect us to be in Arwen's room, don't you get it?" He sat upright. "Now tell me what's going on. You're corrupted with lun... love." Legolas gulped. Strangely, he had wanted so badly to release his thoughts last night, and today he didn't at all feel like sharing them anymore.  
"Well...you know..." Legolas turned away. "I don't know how to say it..."  
"You're smitten?" He looked at Aragorn in horror.  
"Well, yes..." Aragorn broke into laughter, reached over and gave another painful slap to Legolas' back.  
"You're finally making progress in the real world."  
"Uh...progress?"  
"Yes. All your life you have been shunning romance, and now here you are experiencing it. Good for you." Aragorn stood up and strode over to Arwen's dresser, looking at her perfumes and make-up kits, touching them like they were play things.  
"So...I've come to ask your advice."  
"On what?" Legolas groaned.  
"On what to do with Eilyana!" Aragorn turned around.  
"So that's the name, ain't it?" he strode back to the bed and flopped down. "Well, do the obvious of the obvious. Ask her out."  
"I tried, today. But I couldn't bring myself to do it-"  
A familiar voice rang downstairs.  
"DADDY! I'M HOME!"  
Aragorn jolted up in shock.  
"She's here!" Legolas shot up.  
"Come on, fix the bed!" Together they tried to fix the sheets. A thumping ascended up the stairs, which they both knew was Arwen.  
"I've got to go," Aragorn muttered, opening the window. "Hurry back, so she won't suspect you." With that, he jumped out the window and landed with a thud at the soft bushes below.  
  
At last, he found a time to be alone!  
Legolas went through the same path he had been meaning to go through the day he heard Arwen giggling (he shuddered at the memory). Not a single noise he made as he ran atop he branches and tree roots, eager to get to his secret place.  
It had just stopped raining, and it was the morning after the horrifying visit to Arwen's room. A few remaining raindrops fell lightly to the ground, dripping from the wet branches of the trees. The ground was cool and damp, and the air was brisk and moist.  
Pushing away the familiar bushes, Legolas sighed happily as he stepped into his small little beach, the sandy shores leading into a peaceful, calm lake. It had a magnificent view too, the mountains could be seen far away towering above the lake, and during a sunset, sunrise, or a rainbow, looking at those mountains was beautiful. The sun was peeking out of the thick clouds in the sky, causing the lake to sparkle and glow.  
He calmly walked to the very edge of the sandy shore, and sat down. Slowly he stretched out his hand, letting soft tide flow over and wash it soothingly. He closed eyes and tried his best to be calm and relaxed.  
"Well, do the obvious of the obvious. Ask her out."  
"But I tried...I couldn't bring myself to do it..."  
  
"Legolas, you're late! Once again! Let me tell you, if you don't do anything to fix up your tardiness-"  
"I know." Legolas was rummaging in his closet. Arwen put her hands to her hips and snorted.  
"You know? You know? Then why aren't you doing anything about it, huh? Every single time you just have to be late, don't you? No wonder one's resigned, with you not showing up on time..."  
Legolas clenched his teeth and balled his hands up into fists. He had had enough, and this was stopping _NOW_.  
"...I mean, isn't that what alarm clocks are for? And here I am, doing you a favor, constantly reminding you everyday-"  
"SHUT UP!"  
Arwen stopped, stricken with surprise. Legolas stood up and glared at her angrily.  
"I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU ALWAYS BANGING IN MY ROOM TELLING ME I'M LATE! DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW? DON'T YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST SHUT UP FOR A MOMENT AND GIVE ME A MOMENT'S PEACE?"  
Arwen stood there, her chin slightly quivering.  
"YOU'RE SO REPETATIVE! I TOLD YOU A MILLION TIMES I KNOW AND STILL YOU KEEP REPEATING YOURSLEF! I HATE THAT! WHAT YOU'RE BASICALLY DOING IS DELAYING ME EVEN MORE!" Legolas paused for a breath, feeling slightly happy that he had made Arwen upset. He had never raised his voice to her before, but it felt good to let off steam. If Elrond ever found out about this he would be in serious trouble.  
Instead of rambling on, he stood there waiting, slightly curious to see her reaction. Arwen's face had grown quite red, and her chin was quivering uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide and were welling up with tears. Then Legolas thought maybe he shouldn't have raised his voice after all. He stepped forward.  
"Arwen, look-" he touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She jerked up and shoved him away, breathing heavily, tears trickling down her cheeks. Legolas didn't know what to do. "Arwen-" But she was gone, fleeing from the room and her cries echoing in Legolas' head.  
He had done something stupid. Again.  
Sighing, he sat down on his bed and stared at his floor. If only she just wasn't so annoying maybe he hadn't screamed at her. But now it was all too late. Arwen was upset, and chances are he would be ratted on soon. Maybe he should get to bed earlier?  
He thought very hard, and his mind drifted to the dream he had that night when he had tried to talk to Aragorn. Why was Eilyana crying? What had he done? He had called out to her, but she did not respond. He thought she was running to him, but instead she ran past him. He stopped for a moment, rewinding the dream and observing every detail. Was Eilyana the crying lady? He hadn't seen the face very clearly, he had just assumed. He remembered her running past him. Then he gasped. It was Arwen!  
He stood up, alert. Having a grudge wouldn't solve anything. It would just make matters worse. He took a deep breath, and rushed down the stairs, searching for Arwen.  
The palace seemed deserted, Arwen was again nowhere in sight. He would have to apologize soon, before things got out of hand. He looked in the dining room, and in the social room, even in the many bathrooms, but she was nowhere to be found. Desperate, he ran outside and scouted the land.  
"Where is she?" he asked himself, starting to get worried. Then he suddenly knew where. The bridge! The bridge where Arwen had given her pendant to Aragorn.  
He had to stop and remember where it was, for he hadn't been there in a long time. He ran through the field and through the place where the Councils were held, and into a small patch of wood. There, as he suspected, was a path. Quietly he followed it, and the light from the sun decreased, everything growing dim and falling into gray-scale. He walked carefully, trying his best not to make any noise.  
In the distance, he caught sight of the bridge. He walked towards it, and immediately saw Arwen's hunched figure, her legs dangling and her face in her hands, crying. He felt sorry for her.  
She looked up and saw him, and did not make any notion to run away. Instead she turned the other direction and sniffed.  
Quietly he walked up and sat beside her. He took a deep breath.  
"I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." She didn't reply. "Look, okay, I admit I haven't been paying close attention to the time, but I started to feel really annoyed when you kept reminding me. I know you thought of it as a favor, but to me it wasn't. It was just...annoying. And I shouldn't have screamed at you like that, okay? I admit it." Again she did not reply, and a few minutes passed. "Are you listening to me?"  
To his surprise, she nodded.  
"Well?" She looked up. She had stopped crying.  
"All right. I apologize for being stuck-up and all." She sighed. "I know I have problems."  
"No, we just have to stop being so mean to each other." He paused. "So what do you say? A truce?" She seemed hesitant.  
"All right."  
Legolas never felt so good the entire week, as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He stood up.  
"Great! Well, I better be headed back, the twins'll be waiting." When he had stepped on the path Arwen ran to catch up, quickly falling into pace with Legolas' footsteps.  
"So! Tell me what's going on with you and the L-word." Legolas glanced over at her in shock. "What's her name?"  
"Er...Eilyana," he muttered uncomfortably.  
"Did you ask her out yet?"  
"No." She gasped.  
"What?" He sighed.  
"I know, I'm working on it, okay? Maybe today. If I can bring up enough courage."  
They walked some distance in silence.  
"Wow, you seem real stressed." Legolas sighed.  
"Tell me about it."  
More silence.  
"You know what? I know what Eilyana will love." Legolas looked wearily at Arwen. "A surprise."  
"What, you mean like a gift?"  
"Yes, but no ordinary gift. Just something you don't see every day...something out of the ordinary...and special." Legolas pondered that thought in confusion.  
"You mean like take her somewhere she's never been before?"  
"Yeah." Legolas nodded; he could do that.  
"Then what?" Arwen smiled dreamily.  
"Then you must kiss her."  
He shoved her hard in the ribs with his elbow.  
"Ow! What was that for?" She gave him one of her angry stares.  
"That's vulgar!" Arwen laughed.  
"Well, hug her. Whichever you prefer. Then take her out for dinner, and make sure you pay from everything she orders."  
"You know, Arwen, if you're real good at this stuff, you could write a book on it." She laughed.  
"Yes, I suppose so."  
They reached the end of the path, and suddenly Legolas realized how incredibly late it was, nearly half and hour had passed.  
"I have to go," he muttered hastily. "I'm sorry." Arwen smiled wearily and patted his hand.  
"It's all right." She walked back to the palace, and a few moments later she turned back and yelled "good luck!"  
  
He simply couldn't concentrate. He was thinking so hard about what Arwen had said he didn't notice someone was tugging on his sleeve until about the hundredth tug. He turned around, and saw it was Lily, one of the twins.  
"So what do we do know?" they asked in a bored voice. They had shot every one of their arrows.  
"Er..." Legolas was highly embarrassed. "Good job." They gawked at him.  
"So...?"  
He sighed and walked back to the table, grabbing a package underneath it. It was a duffel sack, and after he tied loose the strings he revealed inside a bigger bunch of arrows.  
"Here. I want you to use these."  
"For what?"  
He demonstrated a few tricks, which occupied the twins for the rest of session time.  
Legolas began to grow fidgety during Mary's lesson. He couldn't stop thinking about what he was going to do. Was it the right thing? It was also so scary. He had never anything like it before.  
He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the loud sobs of his hobbit student. He rushed over to her.  
"What's wrong?" he asked hurriedly. She rubbed her eyes and bawled some more, pointing to the table where Legolas' glass of water lay.  
"YOU DIDN'T GET ME ANY WATER! TRAITOR!" She curled up in a miserable ball and sniffed, looking even smaller and frailer than ever. Legolas sighed. Today would be tough.  
After Mary's session Legolas was surprised as Eilyana came a few minutes afterwards, not late at all. Legolas felt as if he had a fever. He would just have to bear it.  
"Suilad!" she greeted, laying her equipment down at the table.  
"Hello," Legolas replied, holding his breath when he looked at her.  
"Did you have a nice weekend?" She polished her bow with a piece of cloth, stopping only to smile at him.  
"Yes..." Legolas felt his temperature rising. "And you?" he quickly added.  
"Oh, thanks for asking. Not much, really. Just hung around at home with my dad, went to a part of the Bruinen and went fishing. Caught a lot of good trout." She finished polishing and looked up. "Shall we begin?" Legolas grabbed his own bow.  
"I've been practicing that new trick you taught me," Eilyana began later into the session. "I've gotten a bit better."  
"Really? Let's see," Legolas suggested, stopping to adjust the tightness of his bowstring.  
"All right, but don't fuss if I mess up..." she fetched two arrows from the pack slung at her back, balanced them equally between her fingers and stretched.  
WHIZ. Perfect shot.  
Legolas was impressed.  
"Yes, you have improved," he agreed. "Maybe we can try a triple shoot sometime, which is about the farthest you can get, but today I want to work on continuous shooting." He took out a timer, and handed it to Eilyana. As their fingers touched, his heart rate sped even faster. "Well... all right..." Don't be stupid, he thought. "Can you time how fast I shoot six arrows for me?"  
"Gladly," she replied.  
"When I say 'now', start the timer." He grabbed an arrow and poised for action. "Now!" Deftly he reached back five more times to grab more arrows, and continuously in a balanced flow shot near the target.  
"Four seconds," she breathed. "Wow." He shrugged.  
"One could do better."  
So the rest of the lesson was dedicated to this. Eilyana had made it to four seconds also to the end of the lesson, leaving Legolas quite impressed.  
She headed over to the table to pack up.  
Now or never, Legolas thought desperately. Gathering up his courage, he followed her. All day he had been rehearsing what to say.  
"Er...Eilyana?" All the words that he had practiced seemed to dissolve. He stood there speechless.  
"Yeah?" She slung her pack over her shoulder and walked over. "What is it?" He stared at his shoes, wishing he could sink into the ground.  
"Er... would you like to go out with me Saturday night?" As soon as the words were out Eilyana gasped, a mixture of happiness, surprise, and shock. He looked up.  
"Wow...Well...of course, I'd...I'd love to," she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and seeming shyer than usual. Legolas quietly let out a sigh of relief. They both stood there for an awkward moment, silent. "What time is it?" she asked.  
"7:00 would be great, right here where we have our lessons," he replied.  
"All right, then. Well, I'll...I'll see you." She too seemed quite speechless. She stared at her feet, then turned around. "N'adovaded," she whispered. Legolas nodded.  
"Calo anor na ven," he replied calmly. With a cheerful wave of her hand, she was gone out of sight.  
  
"So?"  
Legolas looked up calmly. He was making his way back to the palace, staring at his feet, amazed at his accomplishment. Arwen ran up to him eagerly.  
"So? Did you ask her? What did she say?" He turned to her with excitement.  
"I did it." Arwen grinned.  
"All right! Well, dad's coming home any moment, so I'll see ya around." With the flutter of her hand, she became a small dot in the distance.  
Aragorn won't believe this, Legolas thought to himself. I better not blow it on the date. He knew exactly where he was going to take her for the surprise. She would love it, and he was positive.  
  
Legolas rolled over on his bed slept through his alarm clock buzz.  
Tired...so tired...I think Ill just get up around lunch time...  
His eyes flickered open abruptly. Today was the big day! Today he was going out with Eilyana. He jerked up and fell off his bed, tangled in his thick sheets. He had never been so happy (or awake) in his entire life. He untangled himself, stood up, and stumbled clumsily over to his dresser. This would never do. He had to look perfect.  
Grabbing a formal outfit from his closet, Legolas undressed, took a quick shower, brushed his hair, stepped into the outfit, and made sure everything was spick and span before leaving the room.  
Wait a minute. It's not even till 7:00! He almost slapped his forehead, disgusted with his stupidity. Oh well. At least I'm prepared.  
He grabbed his cloak, tucked it around him, and slid down the banister. He was wild and refreshed, and he was dying to go outside.  
"Hey Leggy!" Arwen called from the distance. "Where are you going?"  
"Outside," he replied, his hand on the doorknob. "Horseback riding. A little hunting maybe."  
"Can I come?" she asked eagerly. He paused. He thought about their truce. It wouldn't hurt, he thought to himself, sighing.  
"All right."  
"Yes!" she shoved her fist in the air. "Wait for me, okay? I have to go change and get Hadhafang." She dashed up the stairs. "Don't go without me!" she yelled behind her back. Legolas laughed.  
After a few minutes Arwen was back down the stairs, shoving her sword in her scabbard. "All right! To the stables!" The two elves walked out of the palace talking as if they had been friends all their lives.  
"Say," Legolas interrupted. "This is so much better than arguing with you all the time."  
"I know," Arwen replied. "Well, come on!" She hopped up her horse and unsheathed her sword, swinging it high above her head. Legolas followed suit. "Into the woods!" She screamed, pointing her sword to the direction. "Haya!" Her horse reared a little, and began in a trot, slowly transforming into a wild, graceful gallop.  
  
Legolas sat in his room, face to face with his digital clock. 6:50. The date was in ten minutes. Ten minutes until his doom...or pleasure?  
He sighed and drummed his fingers in a monotonous rhythm. 6:53. He sighed, and closed his eyes. He opened them. 6:55. He stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over behind him.  
"It's time," he muttered seriously to himself. Brushing his hair one last time, he rushed down the stairs, being careful not to wrinkle his best clothes. Because of routine, he grabbed his bow and arrow on the table near the door, and rushed out.  
"Wait," he said to himself. "I don't need these." He went back inside and placed them carefully on the table. It felt strange, going outside unarmed. He stood there, thinking. It didn't feel right. Hesitantly, he picked up his weapons. With experience, he slung the quiver over his shoulder and clutched the bow in his left hand. He felt more comfortable this way.  
He walked back outside and continued his walk to the tournament area, stopping to fetch his horse. He could feel his heart drumming wildly in his chest. He took deep breaths. Calm down¸ he thought. Everything will be all right as long as you don't do anything stupid. He closed his eyes, letting his horse find the way to the area. Taking another long breath, he opened his eyes.  
Looks like the Lady was late again. Legolas jumped from his steed, and scanned the place. That was all right for Legolas though, it gave him some more time to cool off.  
After a couple of minutes, Eilyana immerged from the woods.  
"Alae..." Legolas muttered. He put on his best smile.  
She was more beautiful than ever. Tonight she wore a trailing white gown, simple, but beautiful. Lace drizzled the edges of her sleeves, her collar, and the tip of her dress. Her hair was down, flowing across her shoulders, covering an eye. She laughed as she saw Legolas, and walked over to him.  
"Well, what do you need those for?" she asked, gesturing to his weapons.  
"For...for protection." He muttered stupidly.  
"Ah, come on, nothing will happen to us."  
Us.  
Shuddering, he touched his bow lightly with his free hand. "Well, I don't go anywhere without them, if you understand what I mean."  
"I understand," she replied, nodding. "After all, you are the Prince of Archery." She paused. "Oh yes," she sighed, and a shadow seemed to pass over her face. "I want to apologize for being late nearly all the time. I'm having trouble managing my time...but I'm...I'm working on it."  
"I know exactly how you feel," he replied knowingly.  
"So," she murmured. "I brought my horse." She turned her head and waved at a nearby white horse, a strong mare. "That's Lynne. I got her as a gift from the Rohirrim, when my father went for a visit once."  
"The Rohirrim," he repeated. "Impressive. They have the best horses."  
"Yes. She's a pretty thing." She breathed in deeply, obviously enjoying the chilly air. "So where are we eating?"  
"Do you like lobster?" he asked.  
"Yes! I love seafood!"  
"Good," he replied, grinning. He hitched up his horse. "We're eating at Red Lobster."  
  
"Oh wow," Eilyana exclaimed, at the sight of the menu. "They've got some new dishes." The waiter came over with a notepad, ready to take orders. "I'd like one of your new shrimp dishes please," Eilyana muttered, pointing to a picture on the menu of fried shrimp covered with peanut butter.  
Legolas peered at his menu, observing at her order. He winced in disgust. Peanut butter? Yuck. He couldn't even stand the sight of it.  
"Er... the same," he replied when the waiter asked his order. "And a lobster." He held up a hand as Eilyana began to take out her wallet. "The money's on me." And pay for EVERYTHING she orders, Arwen's voice rang in his head. Yes, he was doing very well so far. Hopefully the night would go on smoothly.  
The waiter left them both. Eilyana sat in her seat, staring in her lap. Legolas did the same, pretending to be endorsed on a vase of flowers not far away.  
This would never do.  
"Um..." he struggled desperately, thinking of something to say.  
"It's all right," she said suddenly. "I have no idea what to talk about either." Legolas was shocked.  
He sighed. "I know I'm supposed to make this night perfect for you...er..."  
"Well, you see, I've had no real experience. This is my first date."  
"Well that makes the two of us even," he muttered, grinning. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop.  
"Hmmm...let's see..." Her face lit up. "The topic of...food." She looked up at Legolas. "Have you tried cheese sticks with sweet and sour sauce?" Legolas peered at her suspiciously.  
"Yes."  
"Oh my goodness, I LOVE IT!" she exclaimed. "Although some people think it's sort of...well...gross." She shrugged. "I think of weird combinations. But they usually turn out to be good."  
They continued rambling on this strange topic until the waiter came over and set their platters on the table.  
"Well," Legolas grinned. "At least we found something to talk about."  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Eilyana laughed, as she stumbled along under the darkening sky, trying to keep up with her companion.  
"All right, stand right there," Legolas ordered. Laughing some more, Eilyana obeyed. Legolas fished out a long piece of cloth, swung it around Eilyana's neck, brought it up, and gently blindfolded her. "No peeking," he said seriously.  
"I won't," she promised, breaking into another fit of giggles. Carefully, he took her by the hand, and led her into the dark woods.  
A few minutes passed, and the two pressed on.  
"Almost there," Legolas inquired.  
"Aw, come on, why don't you just tell me?" Eilyana was growing impatient.  
"It's a...surprise," he replied in a rather corny way.  
"Right," Eilyana replied sarcastically.  
"Almost there."  
"AW COME ON!"  
He took a deep breath. He had never shared his secret place with anyone before. But at the same time he thought it would be the perfect surprise. Gently, he untied the blindfold.  
"Er... you can open your eyes now," he laughed.  
She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and goggled. A light gale blew between the tree branches, blowing her hair across her face.  
"It's beautiful," she murmured. "Elo..."  
Thanks Arwen, Legolas thought to himself gratefully. "I knew you'd like it," he replied thoughtfully. "I come here all the time. It's a wonderful place, to just be alone, to think." He gestured to the distant horizon, and the setting sun. "It has a great view from here. Especially at sunrise, and sunset. And an occasional rainbow." He turned to Eilyana, searching for any expression. Unknowingly, he reached out and gently took her hand in his. He was no longer scared.  
She did not pull away from him, instead stood there, gazing out at the rippling waves of the sea. It was so calm, so peaceful, and so quiet. The sun had set completely now, leaving a still darkening sky, with stars popping out above the mountains.  
"It's beautiful," she repeated, taking in a deep breath. "You're so lucky to live so close to Nature. It's so quiet...so calm..." She turned to him. "Thank you so much for taking me here. You don't know how much this means to me."  
He stared at her face, her beautiful face, deep into her emerald green eyes. He saw something there; he did not know what. A memory. A hidden hurt, something she didn't want other people to know. What could it be? If only he could do something to help her!  
The silence throbbed in his head, and gently, almost unconsciously, he reached out for her and calmly stroked her face, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. Then, as if under a trance, he leaned forward and kissed her.

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Read and review. I beg of you.


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